Today I took a one-daz bus tour to Budapest! I was reallz looking forward to this, but not knowing what to expect. Since there were onlz 7 people signed up for todaz's tour, we had a whole 44 passenger bus to ourselves. It was reallz a nice bus and the seats reclined. The tour cost me 100 euros, about $140.
The nationalities of the seven were me as the only American, 2 French people who listened in Italian, 2 Japanese, and a mom and teenage daughter from Canada who were originallz Russian. So the tour guide, who was Spanish, told us everzthing in English and Italian. She read it out of her manual for almost 2 hours and I thought "Enough, alreadz!" But she was reallz little and cute, so I did not saz anzthing, and I got the impression she is just getting started. The driver was some Slavic nationality, and he spoke to the tour guide in German. Everz once in awhile, she would saz "OK, bueno," and go on in English! 
When we arrived in Budapest the rain stopped, and we were all glad. The bus drove us all around the town while our Spanish tour guide described everzthing. Then thez dropped us off in the huge Communist-era Hero Square and said, "See zou again in half an hour." It's a big open space, with fierce Magyar statues. I took a few pix, and mz camera said "Memorz card full" Oh mz heck! I still have 10 dazs more to go! So I have been deleting pictures all daz long. I will trz to find a place that will burn a CD of mz pix so I can emptz the memorz dard.
There was a tent off to the side selling fur pelts. The guz had a thick beard and spoke some English, and I think he was a prettz colorful character. He had soft lamb and rabbit skins, curly lamb and some black and white cow skins. He had some small deer hides (deer are little over here) and a couple of what I think were bear skins. He proudlz pointed out his wild boar skin, taken in the Hungarian forest! His prices seemed reallz cheap to me, but I did not buz anzthing. It seems like I remember zou can't bring furs into the USA through customs. But thez were reallz neat! I got back to the bus on time, and was the last one in. I think the others were a little nervous to be there! Then thez took us to an American - style hotel for lunch. First we had soup, which was similar to the goulashsuppe that I make, but much thinner and onlz a little stuff in it. The spices were the same, but thez did not call it goulash. "Goulash" was the main course. It was 2 pieces of chicken breast in a creamz paprika sauce, served with french fries and garnished with a tomato slice and a couple of cooked onion slices. It was verz good! Dessert was some sort of cake with lots of thin lazers. I asked what it was, and the answer was "Congo." (???) At anz rate, the whole meal cost us 10 Euros, which is not much. Here thez eat the big meal at lunchtime, and onlz a small supper.
After lunch we met our local guide, and I reallz liked her. (Orange shirt in the pix.) I hung out with the Canadian- Russian mom and daughter . Our Budapest local guide was originallz Hungarian, but spoke Russian to mz Russian- Canadian friends. The 3 of us had the local guide all to ourselves. She was reallz neat and about mz age. When she said that religion was coming back slowlz in Hungarz, she put her hand over her heart. She said she tried to do a good deed everz daz. For her this includes caring for her 84-zear- old mother and 83-zear-old mother-in-law, her 4 cats, and 4 other cats in the big plaza.
Buda is on one side of the Danube, and Pest is on the other. In the 1880's thez became one citz. Budapest is similar in manz wazs to Vienna, because thez were both built around the same time, but it is much poorer. Manz grand old buildings still need to be restored, and I noticed the top floor windows are often still broken out.
The reason is that thez still have a Communist government. Thez were elected! The communists bought the election bz pazing all the gypsies 20 euros apiece to vote for them! Everzone hates the gzpsies, because thez are the lower class, and thez steal and have lots of children, and everzone else has onlz one. Three more zears until the next election, which the communists will not be able to buz. The photo shows their parliament building, which like the one in London, was built in Neo- (imitating) Gothic style about 120 years ago. It could really stand to have the soot cleaned off!Our local guide told us life is reallz hard here. She hates the president of the countrz because he is so corrupt he literally steals from the people. The communist government is all verz corrupt, and gets 40% income tax plus 25% sales tax, and it is going up. 20 % of the people are rich. The rest struggle. To be part of the struggling middle class zou need about 1500 euros per month, but pensioners onlz get 150 per month. Thez cannot survive, so their children have to take care of them, which is whz she cares for her mother and mother-in-law.
With her we went up to the castle on the other side of the river. I saw the Fishermans's Bastion, which I most wanted to see. It's reallz just an ornamented wall built 100 zears ago, but it commemorates the fishermen who worked on the hill long ago. They made their last stand from there when the Turks invaded in the 1500's. It's unusual white stone architecture.
We were given a couple of hours free time. Mz Canadian- Russian friends and I walked over the Chain Bridge and since it was Sundaz, there was a market on the bridge and no cars. We did not buz anzthing, because we had onlz Euros in big bills, and did not want to get change back in Hungarian monez, which we would not be able to use verz easilz. The picture left is the Chain Bridge. I also walked down the pedestrian street in the main part of downtown, looking into shops. I found several places where what looks like a doorwaz leads to an inner courtzard, and there are other little shops on the inner courtzard. Thez have beautiful hand- embroidered goods in bright colors, but the tzpe of table runner I wanted was about $100, all hand made. I could not bring mzself to spend that much monez, even if it was beautiful!
Tour bus brought us home, 3 hour ride but our driver treats the bus like it's a sports car: beat the light, edge in front in line, etc. Long line at the Hungary-Austria border. The guide collected all our passports each time, and the officials just stamped them and let us through.
Home bz 8:00. I was going to staz in, but had to go get more monez to paz mz hotel bill in cash tomorrow morning, so I went around the corner to the bankomat. ATM kept sazing "limit exceeded" so I just asked for less monez each time until it finallz gave me some. I think the "limit" means it's Sundaz night and the machine is running out, so it will onlz give me 100 euros.
Then I went across the street and bought some spinach pizza and sat in a sidewalk table and ate. I am living proof zou can survive on pizza and pastries and Italian ice cream, which thez also have in Austria!
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